Mostar cooking class

When you think about taking cooking classes in Europe, I’m guessing the first places that come to mind are France and Italy. And who could blame you? The lands that invented pasta and macarons are a great place to start any cooking adventure in Europe.

But what about something a bit more off the beaten track? Have you ever thought about taking a cooking class in Eastern Europe?

When Chad and I spent the summer in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that’s just what I did. Sought out a local to teach me the finer points of the local fare we’d been exploring.

bosnian cooking Mostar cooking class

The cooking class wasn’t one that was advertised anywhere. Instead, when we were invited to check out a farm stay in the mountains above Mostar, complete with meals cooked and served for us by our local hostess, I asked our hosts at Meanderbug if there was any chance said hostess would show me how she crafted those local meals.

She said yes, and into the finer points of Burek-making we went.

I shared her in-depth process here, if you’d like to duplicate it yourself. But a big part of the joy wasn’t just being able to bring those recipes home. It was watching something new and different take shape right before my eyes. It was stories of an incredible, resilient woman who lived through a terrible war here 25 years ago. It was sitting at a picnic table with all the food spread around us, talking and laughing and savoring every bite, knowing what went into making the meal possible.

If you’re going to Mostar, a couple days in the mountains can be a beautiful, healing experience. If you decide to stay with our hostess, ask Meanderbug if you can arrange a cooking class for an extra fee.

It’ll be worth it. So very worth it.

cooking class in bosnia and herzegovina making burek in mostar